[Done, now you will be reincarnated together with your memories.]
"…" The young man looked at Echo with shock, not expecting such an exalted entity to play tricks on him.
[Don't think too much; it was for your own good as well. Don't trust others easily by just looking at their faces. Even those who are kind to you can betray you for enough benefits. So beware in your new world, since all the treasures on you will be enough to tempt even the strongest existence of your world.]
Echo looked at him with a kind smile and explained.
The young man also heaved a sigh and didn't hold it against Echo, since if he got tricked, it was his own fault. He should have known better than to get tricked here.
"At least now it's guaranteed that I will be reincarnated with my memories intact."
[Not only memories but emotions and attachments as well. So you won't become another entity with only your memories; it will be your true self.]
"I see, thanks for the effort." The young man gratefully looked at Echo.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, for receiving Divine Grade Reincarnation]
"It was still a Divine Grade draw??" His eyes widened as he looked at the grade of the pull Echo had given him.
[Of course. How many people do you think can get through reincarnation successfully? Just because it was easy for me doesn't mean it's easy for others as well.]
The young man took a deep breath and understood the significance of what Echo had done for him. Not only did he give him the chance to reincarnate with his true self, but he also did so much to give him a valuable lesson.
He bowed down again to express his gratitude.
[Alright, now do your next draw. Let's see what fate has in store for you.]
The young man nodded his head, brought out the orb again, and willed it to draw. The orb fell silent. Echo raised an eyebrow as he knew what this meant, while the young man looked on in confusion.
But it wasn't long before the orb shook violently, and a black light shone out of it, devouring all the light from the surroundings of Echo and the young man before spreading out.
For as long as the eye could see, the black light had devoured everything.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, for acquiring Primordial Rank Mark of Fate.]
As quickly as the black light had expanded, it receded into the young man's body before vanishing entirely from the scene.
[Now that's something else. A Mark of Fate, and one at the level of Primordial. Your future will really be limitless with it.]
Echo looked at the young man again, and his eyes changed completely from before. There was something deeper, more profound, in the way he looked at him.
"Mark of Fate? What…does it do?" the young man asked, as he didn't feel any different than before.
[Haha, you will have to figure that out yourself.]
Echo laughed out loud and, for the first time, refused to explain further.
The young man didn't give up and tried to look inside his body, only to fail, before he tried to feel the surroundings to see if something had changed.
[It's useless. That's not your true body, only a projection of your soul that I have created. Anyway, continue with the draws; time is running out for you.]
He nodded his head and willed the orb once again. This time, the orb didn't pause and released a radiant light, filling the young man with a calm and peaceful feeling.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, for acquiring Supreme Grade Damaged Seed of the World Tree.]
The young man frowned upon hearing the word "damaged." "What does damaged mean? Is it useless?"
[Hmm, now this is indeed troublesome. You will need to do something to fix the damaged seed to utilize it to its fullest potential. But it's still a Supreme Grade treasure despite being damaged. Its vitality is unmatched, and it can fertilize the most barren places in the world. But beware, because those who covet it are also everywhere and much stronger than you.]
He thoughtfully nodded his head at Echo's words. 'I will need to be careful on how I use these treasures.'
[Now for the grand finale. Let's see what you will get.]
Echo didn't give him time to think further about the Seed of the World Tree as he urged him to continue the draw.
The young man took a deep breath and looked intently at the orb in his hand. This was his final chance for a draw; he prayed that it would be something useful that would increase his chances of surviving.
His orb shook slightly before it began exuding an orange glow, but before the glow could escape the orb, Echo's eyes sharpened as he looked at it, then returned to normal.
While the young man missed all of this, since his focus was entirely on the orb—and upon seeing the orange light he was initially happy—before his face could form a smile, the orange glow vanished as if it were never there.
Instead, this time there was no light.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, for acquiring Strange Stone.]
"…" The young man looked at the system prompt in front of him, not able to understand what was happening. "This…" He turned his face and looked at Echo, who was staring back at him with a helpless expression.
[Alas, looks like fate wants you to have this stone.]
"…but what is it? Just a strange stone?" The young man pointed at the system screen and asked.
[I do not know. I found this in the ruins of an old epoch. It was sealed in the core region behind absurdly high defenses. And since then, I have tried every method I know to solve its mystery, but I have been unsuccessful. Maybe it was never meant for me.]